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The Reporter. (Akron, Ohio), 2004-03-20

The Reporter. (Akron, Ohio), 2004-03-20 page 1

(T S?lje ^Reporter ^ Email: www.reporter14ajuno.com Your Reporter Newspaper s primary mission is to.... "Cover the leumof Northeasttrn Ohio comprehensively, fairly. and accurately " A Light In The DarklieSS march 20,1004 thri march 27.2004 SECTION A 25 Cents Per Copy Suburban Youths Are No Better Behaved By. K. Chandler Special to the NNPA from the Westside Gazette FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (NNPA) - A newly released study entitled. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, put out by the conservative think tank, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is sure to stir up more controversy over juvenile justice with its farreaching conclusions. Specifically, the study debunks the cruel and debilitating myth perpetuated by TV and movies that inner city youth are more sexually promiscuous and prone to substance abuse than their suburban counterparts. According to the Manhattan Institute study, students in suburban high schools engage in just as much alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug [use] as students in urban schools - or even more so. Furthermore, suburban schools also had about the same level of sexual activity as urban schools. The comprehensive study "is based on data collected by the federal government in a very large national survey of adolescents," and is considered "a breakthrough" for academia. Manhattan Institute's Kay Hymowitz recently noted, "When Americans think about public education they tend to sec a stark divide between the 'blackboard jungles' of inner city schools where "drugs abound" and "gangs rule the hallways," and the "shining achievement-oriented public schools of the suburbs." But that is not necessarily true. Striking conclusions drawn by the Manhattan Institute's study: 1. When it comes to sexual intercourse, "urban and suburban schools are virtually identical;" 2. Suburban kids were more likely to have smoked [cigarettes] than urban kids, and were "slightly more active drinkers than urban students;" 3. When it comes to illegal drugs, suburban and urban students were virtually at a dead heat. Almost 1 out of every 7 students in both urban and suburban schools, and about I out of every six 12th graders have been high on drugs at school; 4. When it comes to engaging in a physical fight within the past >ear, three out of 10 suburban kids have done so, while almost identical numbers of urban kids also engaged in fighting; 5. With respect to delinquency in general, the statistics were "generally the same" for urban and suburban students over the past year with "about a quarter of all urban and suburban students having shoplifted. In addition, 1 in 10 ran away from home, 1 in 11 sold drugs and ap proximately 1 in 15 has earned a weapon to school. Many criminal justice advocates believe that the results of this comprehensive study have far-reaching consequences that are only now beginning to be realized. Not only do these results directly fly in the face of persistent media images of lawless minority communities run amok with barbaric juvenile criminals, they are also counter to the image of the suburbs as being bastions for clean-cut, wholesome living. In addition, critics say the study's results point to the glaring disparity within the juvenile justice system, highlighting two distinctly different standards of justice meted out to America's youth - a kinder, gentler one for White youth, and another, more intolerable one for Black youth To expose the system for the hypocrisy it perpetrates is not enough, criminal justice advocates say. This disparity must be at the forefront of every community forum. It must be among the leading topics on the agenda of every political session and during every church-networking meeting The other alternative ? to expose the myth and then do nothing about it ? is unconscionable.WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are Suburban youth engaging in alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs just as much as urban youth. Send your comments to: The Reporter - P.O. Box 2042; Akron, Ohio 44309, Attn: Letter to the Editor. Bell Advises Against Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of Brown By Eddie L. Madison, Jr. Reprint from the Oklahoma Eagle Derrick Bell, law professor and veteran of the civil rights movement, said there should be no celebration of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. the (Topeka) Board of Education. Instead, he said: "We should spend the year in thoughtful reflection."Bell, speaking at the Great Hall of the Allen Chapman Activity Center at the University of Tulsa, asked the audience: "How could we believe that Brown would do more than it did?" He said the Supreme Court's ruling ending segregation in U.S. public schools was in the best interest of white America. He said the court's action was a silent convergence of black interests with whites. Bell said racial discrimination was a source of embarrassment for the United States in the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and it was in the nation's best interest to eliminate segregation in the schools. The University of Tulsa College of Law, the Oklahoma Humanities Council, and the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League, celebrating its 50th anniversary, sponsored the lecture. Bell was one of the first black lawyers to work in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. After refusing to give up his membership in the NAACP, Bell took his legal skills to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, working under Thurgood Marshall, then general counsel of the Fund. In this position he supervised more than 300 school desegregation cases. Bell said the media blatantly carried the results of the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown, including the Voice of America. He said Radio Moscow was quiet on the ruling. Now in his 12th year as visiting professor of law at New York University, Bell uses his convergence of black interest with those of whites in other major historical developments, including the Emancipation Proclamation and post-Civil War Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. He said Congress never enacted any anti-lynching laws. "Even FDR felt he would lose the South" if he came out against lynching. Bell says whites are fortuitous beneficiaries of desegregation, especially businesses. He pointed out that Chariette, N.C. benefited from its fourth-right stand in school desegregation. That city received wide acclaim in the nation's media for following the Supreme Court's ruling. Continued to Page A3 i : a i Newspaper shows U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954. Derrick Bell (Top) veteran civil rights advocate and law professor, spoke about the historic ruling at the University of Tulsa. Stubbs Brotherhood Award Twenty Summft County residents received the Brotherhood Award at the 14th Annual Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Banquet*%eld at the Hilton Akron-Fairlawn Hotel on F# day, March 5th. Mrs. Ruth Travis (center), a Kent Roosevelt High School and Wilberforce University graduate, received the Emeritus Award. She is a member of the Zcta Phi Beta Sorority and help organize the first Akron Chapter of Zeta Sorority and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. An active member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Mrs. Travis served as church secretary, church trustee, and organizer of the Sick & Shut-in Meal Ministry. She also hosted a reception for Akron Superintendent Sylvester Small. At age 93, she volunteers at the Summit County Juvenile Center. She was inducted into the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. Other Stubbs Brotherhood awardees were Dorothy Brown, Jill Skapin - communication, Gerrick Black - youth advocate, Nancy Brennan - education, Wayne Jones and SherifTDrew Alexander - law, Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh and Juvenile Judge Linda Teodosio - government, Alan Bleyer of AGMC - medicine, Pastor Kenneth Paramore and The Nees Family - religion, Darnella Cummings - social services, Rev. Alicia Malone - social action, Roy Hodoh - social advocate, Leon Polott - global business, Oscar Pitts, Rachel Torchia, Charles Billow, and Michael Kerasman - business. Atty. Lewis Adkins was the guest speaker. Rev. Andrew Newberry is the host pastor of St Paul AME Church. Pictured with Mrs. Travis are Rev. Andrew Newberry (left) and Sandra K. Stubbs (right), wife of the late Harold K. Stubbs. For more story and photos, see Page Bl. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones To Receive "Women of Vision"Award From Coalition of 100 Black Women On Saturday, March 20,2004. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones will be receiving the 2004 Woman of Vision Award from the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Coalition of 100 Black Women during their 13th Annual Women of Vision Luncheon to take place at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven in Lyndhurst, Ohio. "I am extremely honored to have been named the 2004 'Woman of Vision' by the Coalition of 100 Black Women," stated Rep. Tubbs Jor.es, "The Coalition of 100 Black Women has and continues to be a vital organization within our community through their tireless work on behalf of African Americans, particularly women and children. "I would like to thank Coalition President Margaret Barron, and the entire membership of the Greater Cleveland Coalition of 100 Black Women for this honor and their continued support." Founded in 1981, The National Coalition of 100 Black Women is a nonprofit organiza Oongresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones tion with approximately 7,500 members and 62 chapters throughout the United States and abroad. The NCBW mission is the development of socially conscious female leaders who are committed to furthering equity and empowerment for women of color in the society-at-large, improving the environment of their neighborhoods, rebuilding their communities and enhancing the quality of public and private resources for the growth and development of disadvantaged youths. NCBW is dedicated to community service, the creation of wealth for social change, and the enhancement of career opportunities for women of color through networking and strategically designed programs and die empowerment of women of color to meet their diverse needs Since its inception, the Greater Cleveland Chapter has actively been involved in National programs to reduce the health and education disparities for African American females and their families. Currently, their efforts have been focused on creating an awareness campaign to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) within the African American Community. For information regarding tickets for the "Women of Vision" Luncheon, please contact Barbara A. Williams at (216) 831-2990. PUCO Bows To SBC's Political Clout - Consumers Now Face Higher Rates TkoPnbHc Utilities Coumitrionof Ohio(PUCO) approved aftacrMM in locni'wliokaaik phone mn - a mow expected to cripple loul phone compctitin, -* * -1 (1 l,l,kM -fc uoq an mo to mgncr pnonc bill* lor OU? (QowMfs and imall businesses. Following weotaofaggraeihreSBClob hying, the PUCO caved to SBC t pressure tactics and (ranted an increase without "y10 mi iDHMKt wivovt my publK input on the mailer, ^??nje PUCO's decision to raise wlwle sale phone rates without hearingany evidence or puMic input is a slip in the face ^a5?i2C?55*w3fc*w of Competition Ohio. "The PUCO ignored to own hairing schedule* grant SBC a raeeiel ^bcrwM lto U ww to Ce**nedtoPngtA< Race Discrimination Charges Issued Against Akron Metro Housing Authority For Tolerating Tenant-On-Tenant Racial Harassment The Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) has charged the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA) and one of its development managers, June Davidson with having engaged in racially discriminatory housing practices. The charge was based upon evidence obtained from an investigation by the Fair Housing Advocates Association (FHAA), in response to a complaint received from Fontella Harper, an African-American tenant residing in the Van Buren Hones Development in Barterton, Ohio. The OCRC in its ciarge, February 19, 2004 stated, that AMHA failed and refused to act on complaints of racial harassment filed by African-American tenants against a Caucasian household, the Kasik family Basically, the evidence uncovered by the Fair Housing Advocates Association helped the OCRC rule that AMHA failed to comply with its respon sibilities under fair housing laws by: ? Tolerating pervasive tenanton-tenant racial harassment; ? Failing to take adequate and effective steps to end harassment and punish offending tenants. The investigation also shows that bi-racial tenants and/or Caucasian tenants with bi-racial household members were subjected to racial epithets, racial < name calling, etc. on a consistent basis by minor members of the Kasik family, who engaged in sjch harassment in the presence of adult members of the Kasik family. Despite engaging in racial harassment, the Kasik family was eventually permitted to transfer to another AMHA dwelling unit. According to Vincent B. Curry, executive director of the Fair Housing Advocates Association (FHAA), "This is a unique fair housing case in which a housing provider, AMHA, failed to protect African American and other racially mixed households from the racial harassment of other tenants. Fair housing laws impose a duty on landlords to protect tenants from harassment on the basis of race, color, sex, etc. When you consider that AMHA routinely evicts tenants for disturbances caused by loud music, fighting, and arguing, it is not unreasonable to expect it to take such acContinued to Page A3 Mike Tyson Reportedly Down To Last $5,000 j NEW YORK- The life of luxury has its cost, and former heavyweight Mike Tyson says he can't afford it anymore. Tyson, who earned more than $200 million during his boxing career that has seen lavish spending on homes, cars and jewelry was down to his last $5,553 as of Dec. 31, according to papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York recently.Mired in debt, the 37-year-old Tyson has been pummeled financially for months and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last August, i ntcuruing to court aocuments, the ex-heavyweight champ also had $174 in property and equipment and more than $10.2 million in liabilities at the end of December. Although Tyson has not had a drastic lifestyle change, he reported earning $720,018 and spending just $85,500 in December and earning $5.68 and spending $22,000 in November. Tyson's last payday was in February 2003 when he knocked out Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds. He earned $5 million for that fight. Shelly Finkel, Tyson's manager, said the boxer wants to fight again and has been working out with a bodyguard, but does not have a trainer yet. The camp is exploring a fight for this May or June. 1 Mike Tyson Pictured are Continental Express Jet stewardess graduates Unique Patton of Norfolk, Va, Maria Henderson of Houston, Texas and Septeena Swails of Cleveland, Ohio. Express Jet Stewardess Graduates Miss Septeena Swails of Cleveland became a flight attendent for Continental Express Jet Airlines recently. She was one of 25 members of Class of April 2004 who were pined 5y Kim Ream - president & CEO of Continental Express Jet Airlines during flight attendent graduation in Houston, Texas. Septeena Swails, age 25, is the daughter of Jacqueline Swails - ex-Cleveland Public School Board member and Edward Anderson. Septeena is a graduate of the Cleveland School of Arts studing dance and photography. She is a ex-Army reservist who worked at the Cleveland Teacher Credit Union. She is a member of the Continued to Page A6 Ohio Sniper Suspect Caught In Las Vegas According to news reports, the nan suspected in two dozen .niper shootings in Ohio was ar-ested at a Las Vegas motel early Wednesday morning. Charles A. McCoy Jr., 28, was :aken into custody after he was tamed as a suspect in the shootings that left one woman dead and pierced homes and cars in the Columbus, Ohio area. Las Vegas police were told about McCoy's whereabouts by a man that recognized him from media reports. Police staked out the motel and arrested McCoy in the parking lot. He was taken without incident. Masonic Past Masters Honored The Akron Past Masters Council held theii 4th Annual Past Member Dinner Dance on February 7th at the Akron/Fairlawn Holiday Inn. Pictured (L-R) are Virgil L. Brown, R.W. \ Administrator for the 5th Masonic District, Master of Ceremonies; Thomasine G. Allen, Grand Worthy Matron; James R. Brown. Deputy Grand Lecturer of the 5th Masonic District; Patricia Snead and Gregory S. Snead, M.W. Grand Master. For story and more photos, see Page A4. ' Photo by C&VStudio \

(T S?lje ^Reporter ^ Email: www.reporter14ajuno.com Your Reporter Newspaper s primary mission is to.... "Cover the leumof Northeasttrn Ohio comprehensively, fairly. and accurately " A Light In The DarklieSS march 20,1004 thri march 27.2004 SECTION A 25 Cents Per Copy Suburban Youths Are No Better Behaved By. K. Chandler Special to the NNPA from the Westside Gazette FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (NNPA) - A newly released study entitled. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, put out by the conservative think tank, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is sure to stir up more controversy over juvenile justice with its farreaching conclusions. Specifically, the study debunks the cruel and debilitating myth perpetuated by TV and movies that inner city youth are more sexually promiscuous and prone to substance abuse than their suburban counterparts. According to the Manhattan Institute study, students in suburban high schools engage in just as much alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug [use] as students in urban schools - or even more so. Furthermore, suburban schools also had about the same level of sexual activity as urban schools. The comprehensive study "is based on data collected by the federal government in a very large national survey of adolescents," and is considered "a breakthrough" for academia. Manhattan Institute's Kay Hymowitz recently noted, "When Americans think about public education they tend to sec a stark divide between the 'blackboard jungles' of inner city schools where "drugs abound" and "gangs rule the hallways," and the "shining achievement-oriented public schools of the suburbs." But that is not necessarily true. Striking conclusions drawn by the Manhattan Institute's study: 1. When it comes to sexual intercourse, "urban and suburban schools are virtually identical;" 2. Suburban kids were more likely to have smoked [cigarettes] than urban kids, and were "slightly more active drinkers than urban students;" 3. When it comes to illegal drugs, suburban and urban students were virtually at a dead heat. Almost 1 out of every 7 students in both urban and suburban schools, and about I out of every six 12th graders have been high on drugs at school; 4. When it comes to engaging in a physical fight within the past >ear, three out of 10 suburban kids have done so, while almost identical numbers of urban kids also engaged in fighting; 5. With respect to delinquency in general, the statistics were "generally the same" for urban and suburban students over the past year with "about a quarter of all urban and suburban students having shoplifted. In addition, 1 in 10 ran away from home, 1 in 11 sold drugs and ap proximately 1 in 15 has earned a weapon to school. Many criminal justice advocates believe that the results of this comprehensive study have far-reaching consequences that are only now beginning to be realized. Not only do these results directly fly in the face of persistent media images of lawless minority communities run amok with barbaric juvenile criminals, they are also counter to the image of the suburbs as being bastions for clean-cut, wholesome living. In addition, critics say the study's results point to the glaring disparity within the juvenile justice system, highlighting two distinctly different standards of justice meted out to America's youth - a kinder, gentler one for White youth, and another, more intolerable one for Black youth To expose the system for the hypocrisy it perpetrates is not enough, criminal justice advocates say. This disparity must be at the forefront of every community forum. It must be among the leading topics on the agenda of every political session and during every church-networking meeting The other alternative ? to expose the myth and then do nothing about it ? is unconscionable.WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are Suburban youth engaging in alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs just as much as urban youth. Send your comments to: The Reporter - P.O. Box 2042; Akron, Ohio 44309, Attn: Letter to the Editor. Bell Advises Against Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of Brown By Eddie L. Madison, Jr. Reprint from the Oklahoma Eagle Derrick Bell, law professor and veteran of the civil rights movement, said there should be no celebration of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. the (Topeka) Board of Education. Instead, he said: "We should spend the year in thoughtful reflection."Bell, speaking at the Great Hall of the Allen Chapman Activity Center at the University of Tulsa, asked the audience: "How could we believe that Brown would do more than it did?" He said the Supreme Court's ruling ending segregation in U.S. public schools was in the best interest of white America. He said the court's action was a silent convergence of black interests with whites. Bell said racial discrimination was a source of embarrassment for the United States in the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and it was in the nation's best interest to eliminate segregation in the schools. The University of Tulsa College of Law, the Oklahoma Humanities Council, and the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League, celebrating its 50th anniversary, sponsored the lecture. Bell was one of the first black lawyers to work in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. After refusing to give up his membership in the NAACP, Bell took his legal skills to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, working under Thurgood Marshall, then general counsel of the Fund. In this position he supervised more than 300 school desegregation cases. Bell said the media blatantly carried the results of the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown, including the Voice of America. He said Radio Moscow was quiet on the ruling. Now in his 12th year as visiting professor of law at New York University, Bell uses his convergence of black interest with those of whites in other major historical developments, including the Emancipation Proclamation and post-Civil War Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. He said Congress never enacted any anti-lynching laws. "Even FDR felt he would lose the South" if he came out against lynching. Bell says whites are fortuitous beneficiaries of desegregation, especially businesses. He pointed out that Chariette, N.C. benefited from its fourth-right stand in school desegregation. That city received wide acclaim in the nation's media for following the Supreme Court's ruling. Continued to Page A3 i : a i Newspaper shows U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954. Derrick Bell (Top) veteran civil rights advocate and law professor, spoke about the historic ruling at the University of Tulsa. Stubbs Brotherhood Award Twenty Summft County residents received the Brotherhood Award at the 14th Annual Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Banquet*%eld at the Hilton Akron-Fairlawn Hotel on F# day, March 5th. Mrs. Ruth Travis (center), a Kent Roosevelt High School and Wilberforce University graduate, received the Emeritus Award. She is a member of the Zcta Phi Beta Sorority and help organize the first Akron Chapter of Zeta Sorority and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. An active member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Mrs. Travis served as church secretary, church trustee, and organizer of the Sick & Shut-in Meal Ministry. She also hosted a reception for Akron Superintendent Sylvester Small. At age 93, she volunteers at the Summit County Juvenile Center. She was inducted into the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. Other Stubbs Brotherhood awardees were Dorothy Brown, Jill Skapin - communication, Gerrick Black - youth advocate, Nancy Brennan - education, Wayne Jones and SherifTDrew Alexander - law, Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh and Juvenile Judge Linda Teodosio - government, Alan Bleyer of AGMC - medicine, Pastor Kenneth Paramore and The Nees Family - religion, Darnella Cummings - social services, Rev. Alicia Malone - social action, Roy Hodoh - social advocate, Leon Polott - global business, Oscar Pitts, Rachel Torchia, Charles Billow, and Michael Kerasman - business. Atty. Lewis Adkins was the guest speaker. Rev. Andrew Newberry is the host pastor of St Paul AME Church. Pictured with Mrs. Travis are Rev. Andrew Newberry (left) and Sandra K. Stubbs (right), wife of the late Harold K. Stubbs. For more story and photos, see Page Bl. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones To Receive "Women of Vision"Award From Coalition of 100 Black Women On Saturday, March 20,2004. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones will be receiving the 2004 Woman of Vision Award from the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Coalition of 100 Black Women during their 13th Annual Women of Vision Luncheon to take place at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven in Lyndhurst, Ohio. "I am extremely honored to have been named the 2004 'Woman of Vision' by the Coalition of 100 Black Women," stated Rep. Tubbs Jor.es, "The Coalition of 100 Black Women has and continues to be a vital organization within our community through their tireless work on behalf of African Americans, particularly women and children. "I would like to thank Coalition President Margaret Barron, and the entire membership of the Greater Cleveland Coalition of 100 Black Women for this honor and their continued support." Founded in 1981, The National Coalition of 100 Black Women is a nonprofit organiza Oongresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones tion with approximately 7,500 members and 62 chapters throughout the United States and abroad. The NCBW mission is the development of socially conscious female leaders who are committed to furthering equity and empowerment for women of color in the society-at-large, improving the environment of their neighborhoods, rebuilding their communities and enhancing the quality of public and private resources for the growth and development of disadvantaged youths. NCBW is dedicated to community service, the creation of wealth for social change, and the enhancement of career opportunities for women of color through networking and strategically designed programs and die empowerment of women of color to meet their diverse needs Since its inception, the Greater Cleveland Chapter has actively been involved in National programs to reduce the health and education disparities for African American females and their families. Currently, their efforts have been focused on creating an awareness campaign to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) within the African American Community. For information regarding tickets for the "Women of Vision" Luncheon, please contact Barbara A. Williams at (216) 831-2990. PUCO Bows To SBC's Political Clout - Consumers Now Face Higher Rates TkoPnbHc Utilities Coumitrionof Ohio(PUCO) approved aftacrMM in locni'wliokaaik phone mn - a mow expected to cripple loul phone compctitin, -* * -1 (1 l,l,kM -fc uoq an mo to mgncr pnonc bill* lor OU? (QowMfs and imall businesses. Following weotaofaggraeihreSBClob hying, the PUCO caved to SBC t pressure tactics and (ranted an increase without "y10 mi iDHMKt wivovt my publK input on the mailer, ^??nje PUCO's decision to raise wlwle sale phone rates without hearingany evidence or puMic input is a slip in the face ^a5?i2C?55*w3fc*w of Competition Ohio. "The PUCO ignored to own hairing schedule* grant SBC a raeeiel ^bcrwM lto U ww to Ce**nedtoPngtA< Race Discrimination Charges Issued Against Akron Metro Housing Authority For Tolerating Tenant-On-Tenant Racial Harassment The Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) has charged the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA) and one of its development managers, June Davidson with having engaged in racially discriminatory housing practices. The charge was based upon evidence obtained from an investigation by the Fair Housing Advocates Association (FHAA), in response to a complaint received from Fontella Harper, an African-American tenant residing in the Van Buren Hones Development in Barterton, Ohio. The OCRC in its ciarge, February 19, 2004 stated, that AMHA failed and refused to act on complaints of racial harassment filed by African-American tenants against a Caucasian household, the Kasik family Basically, the evidence uncovered by the Fair Housing Advocates Association helped the OCRC rule that AMHA failed to comply with its respon sibilities under fair housing laws by: ? Tolerating pervasive tenanton-tenant racial harassment; ? Failing to take adequate and effective steps to end harassment and punish offending tenants. The investigation also shows that bi-racial tenants and/or Caucasian tenants with bi-racial household members were subjected to racial epithets, racial < name calling, etc. on a consistent basis by minor members of the Kasik family, who engaged in sjch harassment in the presence of adult members of the Kasik family. Despite engaging in racial harassment, the Kasik family was eventually permitted to transfer to another AMHA dwelling unit. According to Vincent B. Curry, executive director of the Fair Housing Advocates Association (FHAA), "This is a unique fair housing case in which a housing provider, AMHA, failed to protect African American and other racially mixed households from the racial harassment of other tenants. Fair housing laws impose a duty on landlords to protect tenants from harassment on the basis of race, color, sex, etc. When you consider that AMHA routinely evicts tenants for disturbances caused by loud music, fighting, and arguing, it is not unreasonable to expect it to take such acContinued to Page A3 Mike Tyson Reportedly Down To Last $5,000 j NEW YORK- The life of luxury has its cost, and former heavyweight Mike Tyson says he can't afford it anymore. Tyson, who earned more than $200 million during his boxing career that has seen lavish spending on homes, cars and jewelry was down to his last $5,553 as of Dec. 31, according to papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York recently.Mired in debt, the 37-year-old Tyson has been pummeled financially for months and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last August, i ntcuruing to court aocuments, the ex-heavyweight champ also had $174 in property and equipment and more than $10.2 million in liabilities at the end of December. Although Tyson has not had a drastic lifestyle change, he reported earning $720,018 and spending just $85,500 in December and earning $5.68 and spending $22,000 in November. Tyson's last payday was in February 2003 when he knocked out Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds. He earned $5 million for that fight. Shelly Finkel, Tyson's manager, said the boxer wants to fight again and has been working out with a bodyguard, but does not have a trainer yet. The camp is exploring a fight for this May or June. 1 Mike Tyson Pictured are Continental Express Jet stewardess graduates Unique Patton of Norfolk, Va, Maria Henderson of Houston, Texas and Septeena Swails of Cleveland, Ohio. Express Jet Stewardess Graduates Miss Septeena Swails of Cleveland became a flight attendent for Continental Express Jet Airlines recently. She was one of 25 members of Class of April 2004 who were pined 5y Kim Ream - president & CEO of Continental Express Jet Airlines during flight attendent graduation in Houston, Texas. Septeena Swails, age 25, is the daughter of Jacqueline Swails - ex-Cleveland Public School Board member and Edward Anderson. Septeena is a graduate of the Cleveland School of Arts studing dance and photography. She is a ex-Army reservist who worked at the Cleveland Teacher Credit Union. She is a member of the Continued to Page A6 Ohio Sniper Suspect Caught In Las Vegas According to news reports, the nan suspected in two dozen .niper shootings in Ohio was ar-ested at a Las Vegas motel early Wednesday morning. Charles A. McCoy Jr., 28, was :aken into custody after he was tamed as a suspect in the shootings that left one woman dead and pierced homes and cars in the Columbus, Ohio area. Las Vegas police were told about McCoy's whereabouts by a man that recognized him from media reports. Police staked out the motel and arrested McCoy in the parking lot. He was taken without incident. Masonic Past Masters Honored The Akron Past Masters Council held theii 4th Annual Past Member Dinner Dance on February 7th at the Akron/Fairlawn Holiday Inn. Pictured (L-R) are Virgil L. Brown, R.W. \ Administrator for the 5th Masonic District, Master of Ceremonies; Thomasine G. Allen, Grand Worthy Matron; James R. Brown. Deputy Grand Lecturer of the 5th Masonic District; Patricia Snead and Gregory S. Snead, M.W. Grand Master. For story and more photos, see Page A4. ' Photo by C&VStudio \